Taking a Helicopter to See
the Vegas Strip, Grand
Canyon in 2 Hours!
By Sabine Warner | http://www.grandcanyonhelicopters.org
Can you imagine seeing the Grand Canyon and also the Vegas Strip in one fell swoop? If
you take a helicopter tour, you can, and you'll do it in less time that it takes to watch a
movie.
Flight packages range between simple flyovers to extravagant excursions that include
champagne lunch, river rafting, and horseback riding. It's your call.
Let's get started. Here's an outline of the three most popular tours:
Top 3 Tours
#1 The "no-frills" package. Departs from the outskirts of Sin City, does a "U" turn at the
West Rim and beelines back over the Strip before touching down.
#2 Darts to the West Rim where it lands at the Canyon's special heliport. Explore the
Canyon. Experience the Skywalk. Board helicopter for return flight over Las Vegas
Boulevard.
#3 This is the King of Tours: Land at Grand Canyon West, sightsee, then make for the
bottom, located 4,000 feet below. Eat lunch alongside the Colorado River. Take a river
raft trip. Ascend. Fly back over Vegas.
Bonus Sights
The flight over to the West Rim, which is actually just outside the National Park's
boundaries, includes numerous spectacular sites, including:
Lake Mead - An attractive, deep blue lake. It practically glistens underneath the desert
sun. Largest man-made body of water in the U.S.
Hoover Dam - A remarkable feat of civil engineering, the Dam is the second largest in
the U.S. Provides most of the drinking water and generates most of the electrical power

consumed by Las Vegas. This already incredible structure is made even more fantastical
by the new bypass that's being built over Black Canyon. .
Guano and Eagle Points - Two lookout points that contribute stunning beauty to Grand
Canyon West. Horizons go on forever. Keep your eyes open for Big Horn Sheep and
California Condors.
Skywalk - Book it. Take a walk on the "Glass Bridge" and find yourself suspended 75
feet out over the Rim. This is as close as you'll get to having your own wings. The
distance from the bridge to the bottom is twice the size of the greatest building in the
world.

Departures
Flights depart daily from McCarran International Airport, North Las Vegas Airport, and
Boulder City Airport. Sunrise, sunset, and evening flights are the most popular with
travelers. Most tour operators include hotel pick up and drop off. It's recommended that
you confirm your flight 24 hours in advance. While on the phone, I tell people to check
weather conditions - the Canyon especially can be quite fickle.
Pricing
Many people think a helicopter flight will break their budget. Not so. The tour market in
Las Vegas is hyper-competitive and prices are cheap. But if you really want the best deal
in town, book online, where you can save up to 45% off the retail price.
Final Words
On a related note, yes, there are bus tours that take in The Strip and the Grand Canyon.
Bust trips are a great deal. But you need time. Bus trips take a full day; helicopters only
need a couple hours. If time is valuable and you have a reasonable budget, visiting these
attractions by Las Vegas helicopter is a must.